This is an excellent high quality new 8” x 10” black & white glossy photo reproduction of a P.I.E./PACIFICINTERMOUNTAIN EXPRESS 1940’s PETERBILT DIESEL TANDEM TRACTOR Fleet #3076 pulling a BROWN 35’ SEMI-TRAILER Fleet #4129.

”SAMPLE” will not appear on your photo, it is only on the scanned image.

DESCRIPTION: This P.I.E. PETERBILT Diesel was used on the Oakland to Denver route, pulling the ‘longer’ 35’ trailers not allowed east of Colorado. This looks like a Model 344-DT dual drive, produced from 1941 through 1948, with only 3 being built in 1949 when production of this model was terminated. The 344 diesel was usually powered with a Cummins HB600 rated at 150-hp. The front bumper was made of a 6” channel with a hardwood insert, as is shown in this photo. In the 1940s and early 1950s it was P.I.E.’s practice to haul eastbound freight from Oakland through Salt Lake City to Denver in the ‘longer’ 35’ trailers allowed in the western states. Then in the Denver terminal the freight was unloaded, rehandled, and reloaded into smaller trailers to continue on to Chicago, often using REO single axles and 32’ trailers. P.I.E. used a relay team of 10 drivers over the long often twisting 2500 mile route in 5 days.

In 1947 LIFE magazine sent a photographer-journalist along on the Oakland to Chicago run, and ran a 9-page photo article. The article mentions that the 200-hp Peterbilt tractors cost $12,000 each, pulling new riveted aluminum 35’ trailers costing $6,000 each, hauling 20-ton loads grossing 68,000-lbs.

This same exact photo appeared in a 1948 Kaiser Aluminum magazine ad. It mentions that the P.I.E. semi-trailers were built by Brown Industries of Spokane, WA, using Kaiser aluminum, weighing 2 tons less than trailers made of other materials. It says that P.I.E. carried an average of 11% more cargo in the Kaiser trailers on the 1308 tortuous miles between Oakland and Denver. It also states that the P.I.E. units on the Oakland-Denver run cannot legally exceed 34.4 tons (68,800-lbs) and average 20-ton payloads versus 18-ton payloads in other trailers.

NOTE: I have some professional photocopies of the 1947 LIFE article available. If you are interested let me know, and I will list it on . It can be combined with any of my P.I.E. photos for no additional S&H charge.

HISTORY OF P.I.E.: As you may already know, P.I.E./PACIFIC INTERMOUNTAIN EXPRESS became the largest trucking company in the world in 1956. The story starts in 1927 when Ray V. Lilenquest joined his brothers Bill and Les to run two Model A Fords providing service from Pocatello, ID, to Idaho Falls. Many changes occurred over the early years, with P.I.E. finally taking shape from three consolidated companies in 1940. By 1946 P.I.E. had 535 employees and was growing rapidly through many acquisitions in the late 1940s and 1950s. With the purchase of West Coast Freight and System Tank Lines in 1954, P.I.E became the largest hauler of petroleum products in the world. Service extended from the west coast to St. Louis and Chicago. P.I.E. employed virtually every type of available road equipment, and also designed some of their own dromedary tractors. By the mid 1960s P.I.E. extended service to the east coast through more acquisitions, having 67 terminals in 29 states. In 1973 the company was purchased by IU International, and in 1983 merged them with Ryder Truck Lines, forming Ryder.P.I.E Nationwide. In 1985 the company was sold again, with the name shortened to P.I.E. Nationwide. By 1989 loses were staggering, and the company was sold again, absorbing Transcon Lines. Loses continued, and in 1990 P.I.E. filed Chapter XI bankruptcy. An attempt to scale back operations failed, with one of America’s most famous common carriers closing their doors forever.

CONDITION: This outstanding black & white glossy photo is a newly reproduced photo from a photo in my personal lifetime collection. This photo has been printed on excellent quality HP PREMIUM PLUS GLOSSY PHOTO PAPER using HP 02 Vivera Inks, producing a professional quality photo that resists fading over 100 years ... the best money can buy. This 8x10 photo has a white border around the photo. For your information, the description and documentation of this photo will be loosely taped to the back side of this photo. I try to ad some “added value” to my photos by researching each one, adding some history and information that you may not know. If I get something incorrect, please let me know … thanks!

SHIPPING & HANDLING: This item will be shipped via USPS FIRST CLASS MAIL - PACKAGE RATE (non-machinable) within the USA, including FREE USPS Tracking from USPS from my door to your mailbox. For WORLD WIDE INTERNATIONAL/GLOBAL mailings to eligible countries, I will mail to the US Shipping Center in Kentucky for reshipment to you … expect additional postal charges from the reshipment center. Your item will be mailed FLAT, carefully packed in a large 9x12 double envelope with a cardboard stiffener in the inner envelope ... the cardboard stiffener assures you it will arrive in excellent condition.

I can usually ship your photo within 24 hours of your payment thru PayPal, and sometimes on the same day.

PURCHASE 2 OR MORE ITEMS FROM MY SITE, AND SHIPPING WILL BE FREE. I believe you must put your multiple items into your SHOPPING CART to receive my FREE SHIPPING and pay with a single payment. If it does not work for you, please contact me and I can manually issue you an INVOICE with the Free Shipping.

PAYMENT: I believe for you to buy FIXED PRICE LISTINGS you must pay right away through PayPal, per new rules announced in the Spring of 2013.

I will be adding a number of vintage truck and construction equipment photos/ads, listing an additional item or two almost daily. I still have several file boxes and shelves full of items to sell. Please check my sales and store frequently to see what new items I have added.

Please check the comments in my “responses” to verify that I pack very well, ship promptly, describe my items fairly, and that my customers like the quality of my items. Rest assured, you get what is represented. It may be ‘old school’, but I treat my customers like I would like to be treated myself. Trucking and construction have been my life, and now in retirement I do this with a labor of love and enjoyment.

.... any questions at all, please feel free to contact me. I try to be prompt with my email responses.

Thank you for your interest in this item!